Saudi Arabia will let up to 1 million people join the Haj pilgrimage this year, greatly expanding the key event to participants from outside the kingdom after two years of tight Covid restrictions, state media said. Pilgrims to Makkah this year must be under age 65 and fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, the ministry of Hajj and Umrah said in a statement carried by the SPA news agency.
Pilgrims coming from outside the kingdom will be required to submit a negative Covid-19 PCR test result performed within 72 hours of the time of departure to the kingdom, it stated. The ministry said these measures were being implemented to ensure that the maximum number of Muslims worldwide can perform Hajj and visit the Prophet’s Mosque in a safe and spiritual atmosphere.
Last year, the kingdom had limited the annual Haj, one of Islam’s five main pillars, to 60,000 domestic participants, compared to the pre-pandemic 2.5 million. Hence this year it has authorized one million pilgrims, both foreign and domestic, to perform Hajj this year.
Visits to the holiest sites of Islam in Makkah and Madinah for the week-long Haj, and the lesser, year-round Umrah pilgrimage, previously earned the kingdom about $12 billion a year, according to official data.
The number of pilgrims coming from specific countries for this year’s Hajj will be in accordance with the quotas allocated to each country and in consideration of compliance with all health recommendations, stated the ministry.
The ministry has instructed that all pilgrims must follow the health instructions and comply with all precautionary measures to preserve their health and safety while performing the Hajj rituals.
